In an engine an engine water pump with a drain passage through which coolant that has been forced past a seal of the water pump can drain and to provide a sealed reservoir to collect such leakage may be provided. GB-B-2,033,979 for example provides such a sealed reservoir. It is a problem with such a reservoir that there is no way of emptying the reservoir if it becomes full of coolant and so the possibility for unexpected leakage of coolant exists if the reservoir becomes full.
European Patent 2,063,128 discloses a water pump in which the reservoir includes a first portion that is formed by a part of a housing of the water pump and a second portion that is fixedly attached to the housing. However, the reservoir relies on evaporation to reduce the amount of coolant therein and does not provide another mechanism for removing the fluid from the reservoir.
In one approach, a detachable water pump reservoir to collect coolant leakage from a housing of an engine water pump to which the reservoir is attached in use is provided. The reservoir includes a hollow body defining a chamber in which the coolant leakage is collected and having a mouth shaped to complement a surface of the housing, at least one attachment apparatus configured to enable the reservoir to be easily and quickly attached to and removed from the housing of the water pump, and a level indicator to indicate the level of the coolant collected in the reservoir. In this way, the reservoir can collect coolant leakage from the pump and then subsequently can be manually emptied. As a result, the likelihood of coolant leakage from the water pump into the engine is reduced, thereby improving engine operation.
The above advantages and other advantages, and features of the present description will be readily apparent from the following Detailed Description when taken alone or in connection with the accompanying drawings.
It should be understood that the summary above is provided to introduce in simplified form a selection of concepts that are further described in the detailed description. It is not meant to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, the scope of which is defined uniquely by the claims that follow the detailed description. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any disadvantages noted above or in any part of this disclosure. Additionally, the above issues have been recognized by the inventors herein, and are not admitted to be known.